Fortune Cookies
by ForensicsFreak1988
Summary: Title has little to do with the fic. Just to warn you. Something Kate said is bothering Tony. What does he do about it? TATE...such beautiful letters hee hee


A/N: This fic takes place after the one with the four petty officers who play a trick on their buddy, who ends up killing one of them. Though, if you haven't seen it, don't worry, not exactly a spoiler, though I kinda just gave it away. Wow, I need to shut up. Okay, one shot, Tate, and I don't own anyone. Now, on with it.

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"The sad part is, that would actually be an improvement on my social life." Anthony "Tony" Dinozzo couldn't say why that had bothered him some much when Kate had said that earlier, after he'd mentioned staying at work for a week straight. But, he knew without a doubt it had. Maybe it was the forlorn, disappointed, almost sarcastic way she'd said it. Maybe it was the fact that under all that there was a hint of acceptance. Maybe it was the fact that she had become kinda like his sister. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that some part of him wasn't bothered, that some part of him found a sick satisfaction in the fact that he had the slimmest chance to have something more than the friendly/professional relationship he currently had with her. Whatever reasoning his mind had, he found him self doing what he never thought he'd have the courage to do. Asking Kate to an after-hours dinner, just the two of them.

"Sure, should we invite Gibbs?"

He could have groaned. She didn't get it.

"Nah, he's busy."

"What's he doing?"

"Same thing he does every night."

She glanced over at Gibbs where he sat watching Ari's photo run through the terrorist database.

"Shall we?" he asked, turning her attention back to him. She smiled at him, grabbing her purse and coat. They walked in silence, Tony working out how he could get Kate to realize what he was trying to do here, Kate finding herself hoping it wasn't just a professional dinner.

"After you Mademoiselle," he teased, opening the restaurant door for her. She smiled.

"So you do have manners after all. I'm impressed."

"Very funny, _Katie_," he said, emphasizing the dreaded nickname. She froze and her smile disappeared.

"Tony, please don't ever call me that." The fear was evident in her voice.

"Of course not. Not after that reaction." He let his tone sooth her.

"Thank you," she murmured, "and thanks for not making me explain."

He just shook his head, clearly saying 'don't mention it' and said aloud, "Shall we find a table, Ms. Todd?" She wondered at this newfound sensitive side of Tony, but hell, she wasn't gonna question it. They sat down, an awkward silence falling over them. A waitress came over, taking their orders.

"So have you gone to see Gerald?" she asked, against her better judgment.

"No, not yet. I've been meaning to but haven't gotten around to it. You?"

She sighed, and gave him a humorless smirk.

"I got as far as the hospital parking lot. I couldn't make myself go in Tony. That terrorist scared the shit out of me."

"Scared the shit out of me too Kate. I was so sure you were dead when I walked in…" he trailed off, annoyed to find tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, me too," she muttered, apparently not noticing the tears, "That guy reminded me of someone I'd rather have forgotten," she added, more to her self than to Tony.

"Now come on Kate, His hair is much darker than mine, and I don't have his goatee. I'm not that much like him," he teased, trying to lighten the mood and ease some of her pain. She smiled at him. "So, how's the food?" he changed the topic.

"Actually, really good. How's the beef terakei?"

"I don't think anyone can screw up beef terakei, Kate."

"Actually I can. I have," she said, after swallowing a bite of her vegetable Lo mien.

"Well, leave it to you."

"Thanks, Tony." He shrugged.

"Anytime."

The waitress came over, handing them the check and their fortune cookies, and Tony realized they'd been here for forty-five minutes. When Tony took the check, with no mention of splitting it, Kate couldn't stop herself from saying, with a tad bit of sarcasm, "Who are you, and what have you done with Anthony Dinozzo?" He smiled at her.

"Come on Kate. I'm not that bad. I just felt I should show you my good side. A side that, I hope, you'll be seeing more of." The statement was posed as a question, and Kate would be hard pressed not to realize what he was getting at. She sighed.

"Tony, I…I need some time to think about it."

"Well, we have until we get back." She nodded, opening up her fortune cookie, reading the slip of paper.

_Fate usually knows best._

She laughed. Tony reached over to grab her fortune, but she pulled it away.

"Fine, be that way," he pouted.

They walked back, a silence falling over them. Before she left, Kate wrote something on a piece of paper, placed her fortune in it, balled it up, and threw it into Tony's car. Tony unballed it.

_I'm willing to give us a chance if you are. 32 Lincoln Ave, apartment 3b if you want to come over._

He drove only a little slower than Gibbs normally did. His heart was pounding as he knocked on the door of 3b. Kate Todd laughed as she opened the door.

"Any faster, and you would have beat me over."

" Yeah, well maybe you drive too slow, Katie…I'm so sorry, I forgot," he said wincing at himself. She sighed, smirking at him.

"I shouldn't let it get to me like it does. I was 12. He was 17. I kept telling him no, but he wouldn't listen. Afterwards, I couldn't stop crying. My mom kept trying to hold me. She didn't understand why I wouldn't let her…" she trailed off, tears streaming down her cheeks. Tony instinctively pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. She cried against his shoulder for a while, Tony realizing that he was crying too. Finally, after about two or three minutes, she pulled away, wiping away her tears angrily. "I'm sorry, Tony…"

"No, no way Kate," he shook his head, emphasizing his point. " There is no way this is in any way your fault, and I'm sorry you feel it is."

"I…I love you, Tony." He smiled.

"Any idea how long I've waited to hear you say that?" She sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's just when you spend so much time talking about your ever changing dates, I just… I was afraid to let myself love you. I've been hurt so many times, Tony…" He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his hand falling down to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I can't promise you I'll never hurt you Kate. But you need to know that it will _never_ be intentional." She bit her lip. Then, the next thing Tony knew, she was planting soft kisses on his neck, trailing up and over, until she reached his lips. He teased her bottom lip, pulling away. A smile played on his lips when she whimpered.

"Tony!"

"Are you sure you want this Kate? I don't want you to feel like you have to, just because…" She never answered, simply dragging him to her bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, kissing her neck. She slipped his shirt off, her hands leaving goose bumps where they'd trailed up his chest. Instead of leaving the rest to him, Kate reached down and unzipped his pants. He smiled against her neck, raising an eyebrow.

"Impatient?" he teased, his voice husky.

"Just a little," she murmured, her eyes going from milk chocolate, to dark, vegan, chocolate. He just slipped off her shirt, following her lead. If she didn't want to wait, then, hell, neither did he.

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Tony stretched, his hand hitting something. That something gasped, then remembered who was in her bed with her, and said, "Ouch Tony. What was that you were saying last night about never intentionally hurting me?"

"It wasn't intentional, Kate," he said, opening his eyes, and turning to kiss her.

"Be careful, I could get used to that."

"That's kinda the point Kate." She laughed.

"Hungry?"

"Very, Umm…Kate?" His eyes found her, where she was standing across the room.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to face him as she slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Tony didn't know how to pose the question he wanted to ask but, thankfully, he didn't have to. She rummaged in the bottom drawer of her dresser, pulling out sweat pants and another t-shirt, and throwing them to him.

"Those should fit you."

"Thanks." He grinned sheepishly.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Coffee. Other than that, whatever you fix."

"You can take a shower while I make us some eggs. Towels should be under the sink," she said pointing to a door next to another one that Tony assumed was a closet.

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So far, it had been a slow day. No dead bodies. The lack of crime left the NCIS team working on paper work, bored out of their wits. Finally, Tony, unable to contain himself any longer, blurted out, "So Kate, you should meet my new girl. You'd like her. She's tough, doesn't put up with my shit."

"Oh yeah? Maybe I would," she humored him, mainly because she was touched that he seemed so excited.

"Yeah, we went out to eat last night. She invited me to her place. Had my clothes off as soon as we walked through the door."

"EWW TONY! Too much information!" she exclaimed, doing her best to keep the grin playing on her mouth out of her tone. She glanced at Gibbs and McGee before shooting Tony a glare and mouthing _"I did not!" _He smiled mouthing back _"Did too"_ She rolled her eyes. "_God, you are such a child!"_ He raised an eyebrow. _"Not what you said last night."_

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Hope you liked it. Please REVIEW! Even if you didn't like it 


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